Seniors in the Indian team know my worth: Raina

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Last Updated: Sun, Mar 25, 2012 12:34 hrs

New Delhi: He drew a lot of flak for poor performances in the disastrous tour of Australia but young Indian batsman Suresh Raina is unperturbed by the criticism and says he knows his worth in the team.

Even skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was criticised by many for giving him a long rope but the Uttar Pradesh-lad has taken everything chin-up and has told critics to see his batting record.

"Critics can say a lot of things but I know that I have tried to perform the role assigned to me with utmost sincerity. People can say whatever they like but the senior members of the Indian team know my worth and that is what is important for me," Raina told PTI in an interview.

Asked about his weakness against short-pitched bowling, the 25-year-old replied that he is working hard to regain his place in the Test side and will go to Australia for a personal training stint.

"After the IPL is over, I will take a month's break and then start training again. In fact, I plan to go to Australia accompanied by current Chennai Super Kings physio Tom Simsek for an extensive fitness program. If possible, I might play a few club matches in order to get some good match practice on bouncy pitches," Raina said.

The youngster feels that before criticising him, experts should carefully analyse the position where he bats.

"The kind of depth we have in our batting, I normally come out to bat in the 38th or the 40th over. That is the most crucial phase for the batting team where you need to step up the run-rate."